Garment shoulder saver attachment for wire garment hangers

ABSTRACT

A shoulder support attachment for a wire garment hanger having an inclined shoulder rung and a horizontal rung joined by a rounded end which has upper and lower snap fastening portions adapted to be respectively engaged with the inclined shoulder wire rung of the wire garment hanger and with the rounded end and horizontal rung thereof. The snap fastener portions formed of the shoulder saver body either integrally by molding or secured thereto. The upper snap fastener portion is formed from a narrow upper portion having its sides folding upon one another and providing lips that can be sprung apart to accommodate in snap fashion the shoulder rung of the wire garment hanger. The lower snap fastening portion extends inwardly or downwardly from the inner face of the shoulder saver body and in the same vertical plane with the upper snap fastening portion. In one form of the invention the lower snap fastening portion extends inwardly to engage the horizontal rung of the garment hanger and the cutting turn of the form of the invention the lower snap fastening portion extends perpendicular to the inside face of the shoulder saver body adapted to accommodate the rounded end of the garment hanger. The lower fastening portions serve to restrain the shoulder saver attachments against rotation upon the inclined shoulder wire.

United States Patent Brunhuber 51 Aug. 1,1972

[54] GARMENT SHOULDER sAvER ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE GARMENT HANGERS [72] Inventor: Charles Brunhuber, 931 Park Ave.,

Hoboken, NJ. 07030 [22] Filed: Feb. 23, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 117,957

[52] US. Cl ..223/98 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47j 51/086 [58] Field of Search ..223/85, 88, 92, 91, 98, 93

[56] References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,601,442 6/1952 Mallory ..223/88 2,596,576 5/1952 MacSpadden ..223/88 1,817,369 8/1931 l-ladden ..223/88 2,597,509 5/1952 Mallory ..223/88 2,709,026 5/ 1955 MacKenzie ..223/88 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-Polachek, Saulsbury & Hough 57] ABSTRACT A shoulder support attachment for a wire garment hanger having an inclined shoulder rung and a horizontal rung joined by a rounded end which has upper and lower snap fastening portions adapted to be respectively engaged with the inclined shoulder wire rung of the wire garment hanger and with the rounded end and horizontal rung thereof. The snap fastener portions formed of the shoulder saver body either integrally by molding or secured thereto. The upper snap fastener portion is formed from a narrow upper portion having its sides folding upon one another and providing lips that can be sprung apart to accommodate in snap fashion the shoulder rung of the wire garment hanger. The lower snap fastening portion extends inwardly or downwardly from the inner face of the shoulder saver body and in the same vertical plane with the upper snap fastening portion. In one form of the invention the lower snap fastening portion extends inwardly to engage the horizontal rung of the garment hanger and the cutting turn of the form of the invention the lower snap fastening portion extends perpendicular to the inside face of the shoulder saver body adapted to accommodate the rounded end of the garment hanger. The lower fastening portions serve to restrain the shoulder saver attachments against rotation upon the inclined shoulder wire.

22 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUB 1 1912 3680.748

INVENTOR.

CHARLES BRUNHUBER BY ATTURNE 5 GARMENT SHOULDER SAVER ATTACHMENT FOR WIRE GARMENT HANGERS This invention relates to a garment shoulder saver attachment wire garment hangers.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple and durable attachment for the ends of garment hangers which can be connected thereto at two locations on the end of the garment hanger in a snap fastening manner such that shoulder saver will be restrained against rotational movement about the inclined shoulder wire of the hanger.

It is another object of the invention to provide a small detachable shoulder saver body that will have a smooth and rounded winged top conforming to the garment shoulder portion which can be available for use with wire garment hangers whentraveling, stopping at hotels, motels and guest rooms where such wire hangers are usually available.

It is another object ofthe invention to provide a shoulder saver attachment for wire garment hangers which can be formed by shaping of sheet metal or which can be formed by molding of plastic such as polyethylene or other like resilient plastic molding material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a smooth garment shoulder saver attachment adapted for use on wire garment hangers that has the curvature of the shoulder of the garment to save the garment against shrinking and collapsing and which is free of notches, sharp edges which could harm the interior of the garment.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a shoulder saver attachment for wire garment hangers having the above objects in mind, which is simple and easy to attach to a wire garment hanger, pleasing in appearance, light in weight, effective and efficient in use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the wire garment hanger with the garment shoulder saver pads constructed according to one form of the invention being detachably attached to the opposite ends of the wire hanger.

FIG. 2 is a generally enlarged view of the shoulder saver attached to one end of the wire hanger and looking upon the interior thereof with its clamping portions secured about the upper and lower wire rungs of the hanger, this view being taken generally-on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view looking wholly into the interior of the garment shoulder saver, with the wire hanger removed therefrom.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the garment shoulder saver as viewed generally on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of a wire garment hanger with a garment shoulder saver attachment constructed according to another form of the invention, attached thereto, the lower snap projection depending from the body of the shoulder saver to engage but only the rounded end of the hanger.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the shoulder saver of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the garment shoulder saver showing the exterior spread thereof from the top and bottom snap formations thereon.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, 10 represents a typical wire garment hanger having a lower rung serving to support trousers, and inclined shoulder rungs 12 and 13 and the ends of the wires twisted at 14 and one of the end wires being bent to provide a hook portion 15 for the support of the hanger and of the garment disposed thereon. The ends of the hanger are closed with the usual rounded formation between the horizontal rung 11 and the shoulder rungs 12 and 13.

Attached to the rounded ends of the garment hanger at the opposite sides thereof to provide a widespread thereover are garment shoulder saver pads 17 constructed according to one form of the invention and adapted when attached to the ends of the garment hanger 10 to have engagement both with the bottom rung l1 and the corresponding shoulder rungs 12 and 13 in a snap fastening manner and so as to be held against rotational twisting about the inclined shoulder rungs 12 and 13 and at the same time be held against lateral disengagement from the rounded ends of the hanger.

This shoulder saver pad attachment 17 has a wide spread hollow winged body extending from the opposite sides of the shoulder wire 12 or 13 for wide protection to any shouldered garment hanging thereover. This hollow body 18 is concave on its undersurface and convex on its outer surface as viewed laterally. thereacross. The upper end of the body 18 has its upper portions drawn inwardly and together as indicated at 19 to provide a wire receiving portion into which the shoulder rung 12 or 13 of the garment hanger can be forced and retained by spring separable ends 21 and 22 that oppose one another and are normally closed with certain flaring from one another to encompass the round wire section and to grip the same.

Extending inwardly from the lower edge of the shoulder saver pad body 18 at a measured distance such as to accommodate the horizontal wire rung 11 is a horizontally extending snap fastener formation 23, made of a separate piece and secured by rivets 24 and 25 to the concave underface of the saver body and centralized in the same vertical plane to the upper fastening portion 19. This bottom snap fastener portion 23 extends generally horizontally for engagement over the shoulder saver pad to the end of the wire garment hanger it will be seen that this can be effected by simply applying longitudinal force to the shoulder saver pad to snap the portions 19 and 23 on to the wire rungs. It should thus be seen that once the shoulder saver pad is in place upon the wire that it cannot be twisted because of the rotation about the shoulder wire 12 is stayed by the bottom snap fastening portion 23 on the horizontal wire 11. These shoulder saver pads can be formed from metal by stamping and folding the same to provide the formations, the metal sheeting being formed of rust free and resilient material or the shoulder saver pad can be formed by ejection molding of plastic and in one piece. The metal can be aluminum about 0.032 inches thick and the plastic can be of polyethylene or like resilient plastic molding material.

It will be noted that there are no cuts or notches on the concave upper surface of the shield thereby making a smooth surface on which the garment will be supported. The shoulder saver pad provides for a smooth, plain, top convex surface with all of the edges turned down around the shoulder pad body to provide generally the shape of the interior of the shoulder formation of the garment. The exterior shape of the shoulder saver body is generally eliptical. The exterior surface of the shoulder saver can be painted with enamel, covered with different fabrics of any desired color, or with floral or other delicate designs, covered with an assortment of top quality colorful leather, and if desired provided with monograms on the metal, plastic or leather material used as the covering for the pads.

Referring now to FIGS. to 8, the shoulder saver as indicated generally at 30 is fastened to the inclined shoulder rung 12 of the garment hanger in the manner described in connection with the first form of the invention, but is connected to the rounded end of the wire garment hanger 10 rather than to take up space on the horizontal rung 11. This is effected by having the winged or laterally extending shoulder saver body 31 that has a concaved inner surface 32 and a convex outer surface on which the garment rests and wherein there extends substantially perpendicularly from the concaved surface 32 adjacent to the outer edge of the body 31, a fastening portion 33 that extends substantially perpendicular thereto and which is positioned to receive the rounded outer end of the garment hanger. This portion 33 has opposing lips 34 and 35 which will be sprung as the shoulder saver 30 is forced on to the rounded end of the wire hanger so that this rounded end will be accommodated in opening 36 provided by this fastener portion. By virtue of this fastening portion 33 extending downwardly and at right angles or perpendicular to the underface of the shoulder saver 31, the shoulder saver will not twist or rotate about the inclined shoulder wire 12 of the garment hanger when its fastening portion is attached thereto. The fastening portion is similar to portion 19 of the first form of the invention and comprises opposing lips 37 and 38 that are readily spread to accommodate the diameter of the garment wire. This snap-on portion is indicated generally at 39 and is formed by squeezing together the sides of a narrowed extension portion extending from the body 31.

It should be apparent that in both forms of the invention that the shoulder saver through its snap on portions are easily attached to the end of the garment hanger and that while the top fastening portion is connected to the inclined rung of the garment hanger in a manner that could permit rotation thereupon, that the shoulder saver is finally further secured to the garment hanger either to the horizontal rung thereof or to the rounded end of the garment hanger so that there is no possibility of rotative movement of the saver upon the shoulder wire and with this lower fastening portion being in the form of a snap fastening means which can be sprung over the wire portion by resiliently gripping the same and in such a manner that axial or longitudinal displacement of the shoulder saver from the end of the garment hanger cannot be readily effected. Some force will be required depending upon the thickness of the shoulder saver material, the spacing and curvature of the opposing lips of the fastening portions.

It should be apparent that the spread and size of the shoulder saver is adequate enough to provide for a sufficiently smooth top to support the garment in a manner to keep its shoulder shape. The top is smooth and the edges are turned down so that the garment is not resting upon the edges but rather upon the plain smooth top of the shoulder saver. It should be readily seen that an ordinary wire garment hanger can be easily made into a shoulder supporting hanger by the mere snapping on of the shoulder savers to an ordinary wire hanger which is ordinarily available and found in hotel or motel room closets. Both forms of shoulder savers can be struck from a metal piece but it will be apparent that these shoulder savers can also be made by ejection plastic molding.

While various changes can be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A resilient garment shoulder saver attachment adapted for use with a wire garment hanger having a horizontal run of wire and an inclined shoulder run of wire integral therewith and providing rounded ends of the garment hanger, said shoulder saver having a winged body rounded transversely over its top face and adapted to extend downwardly of the rounded end of the hanger to enclose the same and having on its inner face spaced snap fastener portions, one of which fastening portions being fore and aft integral extensions of said winged body depending from the upper end of the shoulder saver body and opening downwardly and adapted to be snapped on to and overlie the shoulder run wire, and the other snap fastener portion extending inwardly from the lower end of the saver body underlying the first snap fastener portion and upwardly open to engage the horizontal run thereof from the bottom thereof whereby to enclose the full rounded end of the hanger and restrain the shoulder saver body against rotated movement of the upper snap fastener portion upon the should wire.

2. A garment shoulder saver attachment adapted for use with a wire garment hanger, as defined in claim 1, and said upper snap fastener portions being squeezed together to provide lips opposing one another and adapted to be spring upon engagement of the shoulder saver with the inclined wire shoulder and horizontal run portions of the wire garment hanger and said lower snap fastener portion lying below the upper snap fastener portion in the same vertical plane and the snap fastener portions themselves lying in opposing relationship to one another therein. 

1. A resilient garment shoulder saver attachment adapted for use with a wire garment hanger having a horizontal run of wire and an inclined shoulder run of wire integral therewith and providing rounded ends of the garment hanger, said shoulder saver having a winged body rounded transversely over its top face and adapted to extend downwardly of the rounded end of the hanger to enclose the same and having on its inner face spaced snap fastener portions, one of which fastening portions being fore and aft integral extensions of said winged body depending from the upper end of the shoulder saver body and opening downwardly and adapted to be snapped on to and overlie the shoulder run wire, and the other snap fastener portion extending inwardly from the lower end of the saver body underlying the first snap fastener portion and upwardly open to engage the horizontal run thereof from the bottom thereof whereby to enclose the full rounded end of the hanger and restrain the shoulder saver body against rotated movement of the upper snap fastener portion upon the should wire.
 2. A garment shoulder saver attachment adapted for use with a wire garment hanger, as defined in claim 1, and said upper snap fastener portions being squeezed together to provide lips opposing one another and adapted to be spring upon engagement of the shoulder saver with the inclined wire shoulder and horizontal run portions of the wire garment hanger and said lower snap fastener portion lying below the upper snap fastener portion in the same vertical plane and the snap fastener portions themselves lying in opposing relationship to one another therein. 